If you saw our before & after post about the beach duplex demo, you know we have big plans for the duplex’s floor plan. We want to make the most of the existing square footage and add a small bump-out so each side can sleep more people, offer more bathrooms, and generally feel more open and functional. Each side originally had only one full bathroom, so our goal is to improve comfort and usability while retaining the building’s character. Below are the floor plans and the design decisions that informed them.
If you’re new here, the short version is that the duplex is a rundown pair of side-by-side units we bought last fall to renovate and operate as a weekly vacation rental. It sits one house from our pink beach house in Cape Charles, VA, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The building has been gutted and will soon get exterior repairs—roofing and siding—once conditions allow.
The Before
The duplex consists of two nearly identical, mirrored units separated by a central wall. Each unit has its own address and will stay separate so they can be rented independently, though a larger group could rent both and effectively have the whole house. All planned changes will be mirrored on each side, so we’ll describe the left side as you face the house from the street. When it comes to decor, we plan to give each side a slightly different look—think cousins, not identical twins.
Because it comes up a lot: we are not installing an interior connecting door between the units. Building and safety codes prevent it. Luckily the front doors are extremely close and covered by the same porch, so when both sides are rented together it’s a very short walk between units.
Each unit is just under 1,300 square feet. When we bought the property, each side had two bedrooms and a single full bathroom, all on the second floor. The layout had been chopped up over time with odd doorways and light placements, so we’re working to make the plan feel more intentional, efficient, and true to the house’s original scale—while recognizing we may never know the exact original floor plan. The duplex configuration itself is historic: two lots and two addresses date back as far as records show.
Note: The drawings were originally pencil plans from the contractor, which were hard to read in photos. We recreated them using free floorplanning software and labeled them for clarity. They are mostly to scale but a few details are approximate.
The After (The Plan)
Here’s the overview: each side will go from one full bathroom to three bathrooms (two full baths and one powder room) and from two bedrooms to three. That increases sleeping capacity and convenience for vacation guests, and makes the units more competitive in the rental market. It will also mean more tile and two kitchens to install, which is exciting and a little daunting.
Downstairs Living Areas
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the front half of the downstairs: the existing layout on the left and the planned layout on the right, with numbered notes explaining the major changes.
Summary of the main changes in this area:
- We’ll open the wall that currently separates the staircase from the living area so the entry vestibule receives more natural light and no longer feels claustrophobic.
- The living room is fairly large; the back half will function as a casual dining area located just off the kitchen. The exact furniture plan is still to be determined.
- To improve flow and sight lines, we’ll widen the doorway between the kitchen and dining area.
- Because the original downstairs lacked any bathroom, we’ll convert the large closet area under the stairs into a powder room. A compact powder room near the main living spaces will be convenient for guests without sending them all the way upstairs.
For reference, this is how that space looks today.
We plan to open up the side of the stairs, which is currently enclosed down to the first step.
Downstairs Kitchen Areas
The rear of the downstairs will do more heavy lifting: it will include a larger kitchen, laundry, and a mudroom zone near the back door. We’ll also add an outdoor shower by the rear entrance so beachgoers can rinse off sand before entering. The combination of an outdoor shower and a tiled mudroom with laundry should help keep sand out of the main living areas.
Key plans for the back half of the downstairs:
- Relocate the kitchen into the larger former dining space to increase storage, counters, and allow for a dishwasher. We may add a small island or movable cart, depending on final measurements.
- Convert the former kitchen (which was once a side porch) into a laundry and pantry area with cabinetry and pocket doors to close off noise when needed. This will function as a laundry/mudroom with extra storage cabinetry for seasonal gear and supplies.
- Create a mudroom area just inside from the outdoor shower to handle sandy gear and towels.
- Add a utility closet for HVAC components and a tankless water heater, keeping mechanical systems out of sight.
Below is the former side-porch kitchen we found when we bought the house; the future mudroom and utility closet will be located just beyond the right side of these old cabinets.
We’ve chosen a mint accent color for this renovation, and the pocket doors between the new kitchen and pantry/laundry may reflect that palette for a cheerful, cohesive look.
Upstairs: Front Bedroom & Hall Bath
The upstairs layout needs simplification and better flow. To maximize sleeping and bathing capacity, we plan to:
- Enlarge the top-of-stairs landing slightly for a more open feel while retaining the linen closet.
- Downsize the oversized hall bathroom so it remains functional with a tub/shower combination but frees up square footage for another bedroom.
- Create a third sleeping space by dividing part of the large upstairs area—this will be similar in concept to bunk rooms we’ve used in other beach properties, but likely a bit larger.
- Make modest changes to the front bedroom, including a slight reorientation of the closet to uncover an existing window that had been covered, and install a pocket door so the window can bring natural light into the closet area.
Here is the current view from the front bedroom to show where the bathroom will be split.
Upstairs: Back Bedroom & New Ensuite
At the rear of the house we’ll add a small second-floor bump-out above the existing foundation element downstairs. That addition will allow an ensuite full bath for the back bedroom, a valuable amenity for guests.
Main points about the rear bedroom and addition:
- The bump-out matches an existing footprint downstairs, so the town has already approved continuing that footprint up one story. The addition will likely house a compact walk-in shower and basic ensuite functions.
- Because the existing back window will become the new bathroom door, we received approval to add a new bedroom window so natural light is not lost.
- To improve bedroom proportion and storage, we’ll add two built-in closets flanking a side window. One may be designated as an owner’s locked closet for supplies and linens.
- We’ll offset the bedroom door slightly into the hallway to create a small vestibule so the door swing doesn’t interfere with bedside placement.
That’s the full “after” plan in one view. These plans are likely to evolve as construction proceeds and technical details—like locating HVAC equipment in the attic—are finalized. We’ve done most of the conceptual work and will adjust the details as needed to keep the renovation efficient, code-compliant, and guest-friendly. We’ll continue to share updates as the project moves forward.